1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile communication. More particularly, the present invention relates to mobile devices and services having customized user interfaces generated by an intelligent embedded profiling engine and in conjunction with intelligence from the network.
2. Background of the Invention
With the advent of Internet Protocol (IP) and packet-based services offered to mobile users, the fusion between mobile devices and computers is well under way. Mobile users are now performing everyday tasks via mobile devices thanks to advancements in service models for applications. One such advancement has been the ability to monitor a single user's usage of applications, and to provide services and applications based on this usage. However, monitoring every user's actions can bog down even today's high-throughput IP-based networks. Thus, there is a need for a more efficient system and method for monitoring usage and providing customized services to a single user.
Mobile users are increasingly using their mobile devices for more than just conversations. The advent of wireless data plans means that subscribers now have access to resources that were previously available only on the Internet. There is increased demand for performing tasks on mobile devices that were traditionally performed on a computer. These include Instant Messaging (IM), downloading multimedia, peer 2 peer file sharing (p2p), location based services such as maps and traffic reports, billing inquiries, etc.
These services require implementation of multiple Application Servers (AS) on the mobile network, as well as authentication, enablers, and storage units to work together to provide a service model for multiple applications. One benefit of an IP-based network is the ability to incorporate these network elements in a flexible manner, so that they can be configured and reconfigured in a way to provide efficient allocation of resources. Thus, this plethora of services revolves around sophisticated, interactive applications provided by server subsystems that enable users to have access to one or more applications quickly and simultaneously, as well as toggle between such multiple applications at will with minimal effort.
Mobile operators have recognized that there is tremendous business potential for targeted delivery of applications and services to suit a specific user's tastes. Mobile operators also recognize that in order to provide customized services, they need to understand how the user interacts with existing applications and services. In fact, with today's high-speed 3G mobile networks, mobile operators have recognized that they may monitor a specific subscriber's usage, and present targeted content and services in near real-time. These service models allow subscribers to transform their services in a way that is revolutionizing the mobile industry.
One such service model involves dynamically generated user profiles that contain a mobile subscriber's application usage, browsing, and download habits. This dynamically generated profile is typically stored in an Intelligent Information Control Repository (IICR). The profile is analyzed, and relevant services are presented to the subscriber in the form of an Adaptive User Interface that presents services most relevant to that particular user, as well as multiple options to download or purchase additional content, or by presenting a user with options to access more information resources.
However, such a model is heavily dependent on several inputs, most of which come from the user end, and traverse the mobile network to reach the Application Servers and IICR. Such inputs may include a user's menu choices, application usage, communicating habits, as well as the type and frequency of information that is shared between applications. Considering that today's large mobile operators handle over 60 million subscribers, this results in a massive amount of data being uploaded over the mobile network. Additionally, most current 3G networks are optimized for high speed downloads, not uploads. Consequently, monitoring subscribers' usage to provide customized services becomes a dead-end goal: the more customization an operator wishes to offer, the more it bogs its own network down.
What is needed is an improved system and method to monitor a mobile user's habits while exploiting the current advances in mobile technology without overloading existing networks.